April/May 2005

Next Group, the high street and catalogue retailer, has announced details of the next phase of a programme to upgrade its Next Directory warehousing and distribution facility for boxed goods in Yorkshire. Again it has appointed Siemens Logistics and Assembly Systems to handle the logistics automation aspects.

The first phase is due for completion this autumn, and the second phase, which will be ready a year later, will allow the expansion of the new site and the conversion of the existing distribution centre to a purely retail operation. Siemens also supplied equipment for this back in 1998.

When the development has been completed, the overall Next Directory site will comprise a high-bay warehouse with 486,000 storage locations for cartons operated by 30 storage and retrieval machines; an extensive case conveyor system; and item and parcel sorters.

Siemens will also provide a new warehouse control system for both distribution centres, together with a visualisation system and the entire controls system.